Newsroom

The Star reports on a new drone academy that is being utilized to inspect infrastructure and reduce costs in the Ivory Coast. The training is being offered at a new "drone academy" which has been set up by the Ivorian Electricity Company (CIE) in order to revolutionise the inspection of its infrastructure and ultimately to reduce costs. Although common in Europe, the use of drones is still in its infancy in West Africa although the commercial market for unmanned aircraft is expanding. The aim is for CIE – which is majority-owned by France's Eranove Group, a key provider of water and electricity in West Africa – to train around 20 local pilots to inspect its high-voltage lines which criss-cross the country, stretching more than 25,000km (15,500 miles).